The pods of a tall ginger-family plant from south-west India. Green cardamom is sweetly floral, resinous and eucalyptus-cool, and flavours everything from biryani to Nordic buns and Arabic coffee.
What it is¶
Green cardamom is the dried seed pod of Elettaria cardamomum, a large perennial in the ginger family that grows to two or three metres in the shade of monsoon forests. Its flowers and pods grow on long runners near the ground. The pods are picked by hand just before they ripen and dried slowly to keep their green colour. Each pale green, three-sided pod, 1–2 cm long, contains a dozen or more small, sticky, dark brown seeds, where most of the flavour lies.
Green cardamom is distinct from black cardamom, which is a different plant with a smoky flavour. White cardamom is green cardamom that has been bleached, traditionally favoured in parts of Europe for pale cakes; it has less aroma. Cardamom is usually counted the world's third most expensive spice by weight, after saffron and vanilla; see most expensive spices.
Origins and history¶
Cardamom grows wild in the Western Ghats of Kerala and Karnataka, the "Cardamom Hills", and has been used in India since antiquity. It reached the Greeks and Romans via the Indian Ocean trade; the Greek kardamomon was probably applied to more than one spice. Vikings and later traders are often credited with introducing it to Scandinavia, where it became a baking spice, though the details of its arrival are uncertain.
India was the dominant producer until the twentieth century. German coffee planters introduced cardamom to Guatemala early in the century, and Guatemala has since become the world's largest producer and exporter, much of its crop going to the Arab world. In India, most is consumed at home.
Flavour and aroma¶
Cardamom's aroma is complex: resinous and camphor-cool from 1,8-cineole (the dominant compound in eucalyptus), floral and fruity from alpha-terpinyl acetate and linalool, with citrus and a lingering sweetness. It is strong; too much gives food a medicinal, soapy edge. The seeds lose their aroma rapidly once exposed, so pods kept whole are far superior to ground cardamom.
In the kitchen¶
- Bruise whole pods with the flat of a knife and add to rice, curries, milk and syrups; they release flavour slowly. Warn diners, or fish them out.
- Seeds only: split pods and tip out the seeds; grind in a pestle and mortar. For 1 tsp ground seeds you will need roughly 10–12 pods. Discard the husks or drop them into a sugar jar or tea caddy.
- Indian cooking: biryani and pulao, kormas, garam masala, chai (a few crushed pods per pot), kheer, gulab jamun, kulfi and lassi.
- Middle East: Arabic coffee (gahwa) is often brewed with generous amounts of ground cardamom; also in baharat, advieh and hawaij.
- Scandinavia: Swedish kardemummabullar (cardamom buns), Finnish pulla and many Nordic breads and pastries. Allow about 1–1½ tsp freshly ground seed per 500 g of flour.
- Everywhere: rice pudding, poached pears, plum crumble, custards and chocolate.
💡 Grind your own
Pre-ground cardamom goes flat within weeks. For baking, grind seeds from whole pods just before use; the difference in fragrance is dramatic.
Buying and storing¶
Whole pods keep for a year or more in an airtight container away from light, heat and humidity. Look for plump, evenly green, unsplit pods; faded, straw-coloured or split pods are old. Loose seeds lose aroma within months and ground cardamom faster still. See storing spices.
Substitutes¶
- For sweet dishes, a mixture of nutmeg and cinnamon, or a little allspice, will fill the gap without imitating it.
- Black cardamom is not a good substitute in sweet dishes, but a small amount works in rich savoury curries.
- In chai, ginger and cloves can carry the flavour on their own.
Pairs well with¶
Rice, milk, cream, coffee, chocolate, oranges, pears, plums, apples, lamb and chicken; cinnamon, cloves, saffron, ginger, black pepper, rose water, vanilla and nutmeg.